Summary
- The Elder Scrolls 6 won't be released for another handful of years, but the fantasy RPG Avowed is expected to fill a similar niche much sooner.
- Avowed, developed by Obsidian Entertainment, may appeal to Elder Scrolls fans with its similarities in RPG style and its lived-in world.
- Avowed is expected to have a more narrative and character-driven focus, with interconnected open zones, providing a unique first-person RPG experience.
Avowed. The last game in Bethesda's iconic series, The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, has proved to be perennially popular, and has become notorious for how many times it's been re-released. Its follow-up, TES 6, was perhaps prematurely announced, and is still not expected for many more years. While there aren't any games that scratch the exact same itch as a Bethesda RPG, Obsidian Entertainment's Avowed is poised to fill an adjacent niche.
Even by the time Bethesda's latest game, Starfield released in September 2023, The Elder Scrolls 6's announcement at E3 in 2018 was five years old. Sadly, a TES 6 release update earlier in 2023 pointed to internal expectations that The Elder Scrolls 6 won't be released until 2028 at the earliest. While it's nice to know Bethesda is committed to continuing the series, Starfield – or even Fallout – doesn't have the exact same appeal as The Elder Scrolls' fantasy leanings. There's no perfect substitute, but there are a number of reasons to keep an eye on Avowed, which is expected to be released much sooner.
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Avowed May Be The Closest Thing We Get To A Bethesda Fantasy RPG Before TES 6
Obsidian certainly should not be considered derivative of Bethesda in any way, but there are a few clear parallels between a handful of Obsidian titles and Bethesda's signature RPG style. For starters, Obsidian's Fallout: New Vegas is a spin-off of Fallout 3, Bethesda's first take on the IP. Obsidian's output thereafter is quite varied, but a similar first-person RPG experience resurfaced in The Outer Worlds. Whether there's a deliberate through line, or the similarities are more happenstance, Avowed seems as though it will be likely to pique the interest of Elder Scrolls fans.
Following Microsoft's acquisition of Obsidian Entertainment in 2018, Avowed will be an Xbox console exclusive. It is expected to launch on Xbox Series X/S and PC.
A major bonus to Avowed's potential is its setting, the world of Eora, created initially for Obsidian's two Pillars of Eternity CRPGs. This will hopefully provide Avowed with a lived-in world that players have come to expect from The Elder Scrolls and its extensive lore. However, while Avowed owes much of its cornerstone background to Pillars of Eternity, its more specific setting – a region known as the Living Lands – will seemingly provide opportunities for new stories and unique circumstances within Eora.
A unique facet to Avowed, though, is its scale. While Bethesda tends to give players a very broad playground, Obsidian's RPGs have typically sacrificed width for depth. Avowed is expected to be narrative- and character-driven, with a strong focus on the game's companions. Rather than a traditional open world, Avowed will have "a series of interconnected and open zones," according to Carrie Patel, the game's director, in an interview at Xbox's June 2023 games showcase (via the Xbox YouTube channel). Bethesda's most recent venture, Starfield, took the opposite approach, so Avowed's more constrained strategy may be a welcome adjustment when returning to a fantasy setting.
Avowed Is Expected To Release Before The Elder Scrolls 6
At the time of writing, there is no exact date, but Avowed is set for release in 2024. Release dates or windows themselves really have no bearing on the similarities between Avowed and The Elder Scrolls, but with TES 6 being announced so long ago (and seemingly nowhere near completion), anticipation for it is essentially on hold. Thinking of Avowed as only a substitute for TES 6 is a disservice to the game and Obsidian, but the similarities are hard to ignore, especially since first-person fantasy RPGs tend to be few and far between.
Even divorced from the unfortunately long wait for The Elder Scrolls 6, Avowed appears worthy of consideration on just it and Obsidian's merits. Coming off the heels of two acclaimed Pillars of Eternity games, Avowed has an incredible amount of story potential, but seems more approachable for those who aren't especially interested in CRPGs. Obsidian has proved repeatedly that it's an industry leader in narrative-driven games, and the studio's more recent output, including Pillars of Eternity 2, The Outer Worlds, and Pentiment (the latter being Screen Rant's 2022 Game of the Year), shows no indication of that changing. Avowed is poised to deliver a unique experience in 2024, and Bethesda fans looking for more fantasy should take notice.
Source: Xbox/YouTube
